Virgin Galactic‘s first commercial space flight took off from New Mexico today and successfully carried three passengers to the edge of space.
Antiguan mother and daughter duo Keisha Schahaff, 46 and Anastatia Mayers, 18 and retired British Olympian Jon Goodwin, 80, made history for the Richard Branson-founded company, becoming its first commercial crew who were not trained astronauts or researchers to orbit.
The mothership and spaceplane, VSS Unity, jetted down the runway at 10:30 am ET, after the crew did their ‘hero walk’ to hug friends and family who were there for support.
The two planes separated about 44,000 feet above Earth’s surface, which appeared to a bright flash in the sky to spectators on the ground.
The crew of the VSS Unity gave the thumbs up after the carrier plane released the ship, which continued its ascent to over 50 miles above Earth.
The team then huddled around the ship’s windows and took in the views of our planet before making its re-entry into the atmosphere.
Virgin Galactic’s first commercial space flight took off from New Mexico today and successfully carried three passengers to the edge of space. Anastatia Mayers (pictured) takes in the view of space
Pictured is the moment the spaceplane and mothership separated during the spaceflight
Schahaff won two seats in a sweepstakes and chose her daughter to join her.
The mission marked the first time a mother-daughter duo flew into space together.
‘It is a childhood dream come true,’ Schahaff told reporters. ‘I’ve been to space and back with my daughter. And if anyone is wondering, the Earth is round.’
But Goodwin, from Newcastle, secured his seat as the company’s first paying customer 18 years ago.
Goodwin’s son David told DailyMail.com that his father’s spaceflight has been a long time coming.
And when asked how his father is the first Olympian and second oldest and individual with Parkinson’s, David said: ‘My father likes to tick a lot of boxes.’
Goodwin is a retired slalom canoeist, has been a regular and leading competitor in the Ferrari Hillclimb Championship since 1992, winning in 2000 and 2008, and has more Class wins than any other competitor – as of the end of the 2020 season.
Goodwin is married to Pauline, who also competed in the Olympic games in 1972 and 1976. She was in New Mexico cheering her husband, son David, grandson Sebastian and daughter-in-law Lily.
Goodwin’s wife, Pauline, told the BBC at the launch site that she felt emotional and proud of her husband of 50 years.
The crew of the VSS Unity gave the thumbs up after the carrier plane released the ship, which continued its ascent to over 50 miles above Earth
The crew strapped inside the spaceplane as they traveled to space
The former Olympian also spent his life as a daredevil, winning races in the Arctic Circle and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.
Goodwin was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2014 and has since been dedicated to raising awareness for the disease and the importance of research into finding a cure – and hopes that taking part in this mission will help shine a spotlight on the condition.
Branson tweeted he was in Antigua watching the launch with Schahaff’s mother, Florence.
Virgin Galactic has already booked a backlog of 800 customers vying for their chance to go to space, which was made possible by the company’s inaugural mission in June.
Tickets were sold for $250,000 but have since increased to $450,000.
The crew took off from the hangar in sleek Rang Rover vehicles and headed to the launch pad less than one mile away to where Unity and Eve, the mothership, had been waiting.
The spaceplane took the crew 50 miles above Earth’s surface. Pictured is the moment the rocket ignited its thrusters to separate from the mothership
Virgin Galactic’s first space tourists hugged their friends and family during the ‘hero walk’ before traveling to the Spaceport launch pad for their epic trip to the final frontier
DailyMail.com witnessed Eve and Unity jet down the runway at 10:30 am ET and took off into the blue sky over New Mexico.
The carrier aircraft is operated by two pilots who take off from a runway and then gain high altitude.
The pair climbed until they reached more than 44,000 feet above the surface. Unity then ignited its thrusters, seen as a bright light in the sky.
The spaceplane left trails of white smoke behind as it climbed mile-by-mile until it disappeared from view.
At the apex of the flight, the spaceplane ‘feathered’ its wings open and hovered above our planet’s atmosphere, allowing the crew to experience weightlessness and incredible views of the final frontier for a few minutes.
Unity was specifically designed to reach the boundary of space as defined by the US Air Force and NASA by going over 50 miles above sea level.
The spaceplane features 17 windows that provide ‘an incredible view of planet Earth’ for passengers as they float by for a few precious minutes.
Once VSS Unity re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere, it glides back to the runway it took off from, giving passengers ‘a smooth and comfortable end to their thrilling ride’, the company said.
When the new astronauts returned to Earth, all three raved about the incredible moment in space.
‘I have no words. The only thought I had the entire time was wow,’ Mayers told reporters.
The mission, ‘dubbed Galactic 02,’ is another milestone for spaceflight, allowing civilians to experience what was once only a dream for them.
The crew has become very close since they started training for the spaceflight. Meyers checked in with Goodwin during the hero walk to make sure he was ok and ready to go
Goodwin’s family attended the spaceflight. From right, wife Pauline, son David, grandson Sebastian, son Paul and daughter-in-law Lily watch toward the tarmac of Spaceport America
Branson was not present at the launch but was in Antigua with Schahaff and Mayers’ family to celebrate the launch.
Today’s historic Galactic 02 mission included six people on board.
Three were Virgin Galactic employees – Commander Frederick Sturckow, Pilot Kelly Latimer, and Astronaut Instructor Beth Moses.
Schahaff, from Antigua, won a sweepstakes with Omaze, an American for-profit fundraising company, for a once-in-a-lifetime commercial trip to the final frontier aboard Virgin Galactic’s Unity.
Mayers, the second youngest person to travel to space, is one of Schahaff’s two daughters.
She is in her second year at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, studying Philosophy and Physics.
Mayers is set on becoming an astrobiologist who thought living on the small island impossible until her mother won the tickets aboard Unity.
Goodwin, from Great Britain, is an adventurer and the first Olympian to travel to space, having competed in the 1972 Munich Games
The space tourists were all smiles during their hero walk where they hugged friends and family before heading to the spaceplane
Goodwin, from Great Britain, is an adventurer and the first Olympian to travel to space, having competed in the 1972 Munich Games.
He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2014 and has since been dedicated to raising awareness for the disease and the importance of research into finding a cure – and hopes that taking part in this mission will help shine a spotlight on the condition.
The mission, dubbed ‘Galatic 02,’ is Virgin Galactic’s seventh trip to space since 2018, but the first with a ticket-holder.
Branson hopped on board for the first full-size crew ride in 2021. Italian military and government researchers soared in June on the first commercial flight.
According to the company, about 800 people are currently on Virgin Galactic´s waiting list.
